Peace at Work

I just finished a webinar on Domestic Abusers in the Workplace.  While I usually emphasize the liability and job performance issues with employers, there is evidence of the actual violence that batterers engage in while at work.  

there have been two recent cases of abuser who commit the murder while at their workplace. 

First, an accountant working at a Spokane roofing company killed his wife when she visited his office.  He hid her body near the workplace and impersonated her for several days to postpone discovery and also to suggest that she left the area.   The blugeoning murder occured after office hours but the employer came by when the assailant was cleaning up and actually knocked on the door.   Imagine what the employee would have done if he was discovered.  Also, the man used his work computer to log into the victim’s social networking sites to impersonate her.  As you can guess, he was fired when the crime came to light. 

But what has captured more of the national media is the beheading of wife of tv station owner. Muzzammil Hassan was in the going through a divorce with a woman after a history of documented cases of domestic abuse.  Again, it was at the station when he murdered her.  

As the employer, there is not the same issues of negligence as Hassan is the business.  But the investors, the board, the community and in a reveral of roles, even the employees were drastically impacted.  His mission was a noble one- to improve the public image and remove stereotypes of Muslims in a post 9-11 world.   What will happen to the station and to this mission has been deeply hampered by his terrible deed. 

The point is that domestic abuse is a business issue.  It has been well established that it impacts a victim’s job performance.  Now the awareness of the abuser’s impact is growing.  I hope it will not take more victim’s being killed.